Monthly Archives: March 2015

The Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde of cricket

29 Sunday Mar 2015

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The semi finals of the World Cup 2015 showed the world both faces of cricket. The ugliest side and the most beautiful.

South Africa were facing New Zealand on the 24th of March in Auckland. Neither team had ever made it to a World Cup final and they were here facing each other in an attempt to make it their first. Both teams knew they could not both make it through to the finals and that this would be a fight to the last second. Considering the pressure on both teams to make it through to the finals, it was possibly the cleanest and purest game of cricket ever. It was also the most heart-breaking.

Both teams were coming into the semi-final from unbelievable wins. South Africa had smashed through Sri Lanka and beaten them with nine wickets in hand. New Zealand with an unbelievable performance from Martin Guptill had beaten the West Indies by 143 runs. South Africa were batting first at the Eden Park ground. They got off to a fairly slow start and Trent Boult who has been New Zealand’s key this tournament picked off the openers cheaply. Rilee Rossouw and Faf du Plessis slowly built back up. At 114 it was Corey Anderson who got the break through and removed Rossouw. Next in was AB de Villers. The man who could completely take the game away from New Zealand. It was a wonderful partnership from du Plessis and de Villiers. They ran well between the wicket and picked up the run rate. The two built up a 100 run partnership before the rain came to New Zealand’s aid. It wasn’t the first time rain had interfered with a South African World Cup knock-out game and it had never ended well for them especially when Duckworth-Lewis came into play. The game was reduced to 43 overs and South Africa needed to push on quickly with roughly six overs to go. Unfortunately du Plessis was removed almost immediately after play restarted and de Villiers found it hard to get going straight away. However David Miller came to their rescue as he smashed 49 off 18 balls and pushed South Africa up to 281.

Duckworth Lewis changed New Zealand’s target to 298 from 43 overs. It wasn’t an easy target but it was easier than the one South Africa were heading for before the rain. McCullum set off in true McCullum style, without any inhibitions he bludgeoned 59 from 26 off South Africa’s World Class fast bowlers. It was just the start that New Zealand needed to begin the chase. He brought down the required rate to a mere six per over. South Africa however continued to pick off wickets and pushed ahead. Kane Williamson was removed early and just as partnerships began to build up, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor got out. It was looking as though New Zealand might finally crumble under the pressure but a brilliant partnership between Corey Anderson and Grant Elliott kept the game alive. They put on a 103 run partnership before Anderson was removed. The game was still in the balance, both teams fighting with all their might. New Zealand still needed 46 from the last five overs.

The final over came and New Zealand needed 12 runs off the last 6 balls. It was not an easy ask with Dale Steyn bowling. Both teams were still well in the game. The intensity grew and New Zealand needed five from two when Elliott smashed a six out of the ground. As the ball crashed down it brought the dreams of the South African’s down with it. Dale Steyn fell to the floor and Grant Elliott went over to give him a hand before going to celebrate. There was an unbelievable amount of respect shown by both teams and it was possibly the most bitter-sweet ending to any cricket game.

The second semi final however was all but that. It was however, a game of sheer aggression in the wrong way. Both teams had faced issues with each other in the past and India’s new and younger side were much more ready to give what they got from Australia. The crowd atmosphere was almost mucky in places and tainted with bitterness of Bangladeshi supporters who had come specifically to boycott the Indians. This was India’s biggest test of the tournament. They hadn’t faced a significant challenge in the group matches or the quarter-finals.

It all began well with India removing David Warner early. Bowling Australia out was always going to be their biggest issue. In particular Steve Smith who had played so brilliantly against India over the summer. Smith and Aaron Finch put on an incredible 182 run partnership. India looked like they were back in the test series, unable to pick up a wicket. Smith was finally removed and Glenn Maxwell was sent in early to keep the momentum going and as always he got off to a flyer before he was removed by Ravi Ashwin. Two quick wickets fell as Finch and captain Michael Clarke fell leaving Australia 248-5 at 43. It wasn’t a great start but India had pulled it back from what could have been a 350+ run total. The game still got away from India however as James Faulkner and Mitchell Johnson put on great cameos to bring Australia up to 328. An incredibly tough ask.

As the game went on it just got more sullied. India got off to a flyer with Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. The pair put on a great first wicket partnership of 76 runs from 13 overs. There were some loose shots and some lucky misses but the openers had taken some pressure off. Once the Australian’s broke through that first partnership, India could just not get another one to stick. Virat Kohli got out for one. Had Kohli stuck around he was likely to be the man to get the brunt of it. However it all fell on the in-form Suresh Raina who had pulled India through on more than one occassion this World Cup. Mitchell Starc attacked Raina and on one occasion threw the ball at the stumps to hit Raina before appealing for obstruction. The atmosphere changed from there. The Indian fans had gone silent. There was no fight left. No one put up a fight except the captain MS Dhoni but he could not finish the game by himself. India fell 94 runs short of the total. It was a weak fight from them that left everyone disappointed. They had the ability to win, or at least make Australia really sweat but their run finally came to an end.

Australia had bowled beautifully to restrict India but it was a bitter end to the game.

Semi-finals Preview: India v Australia

25 Wednesday Mar 2015

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Two of the strongest teams coming into the World Cup, the game on Thursday the 26th of March is going to one of pure intensity. India, unbeaten in the group stages are coming in strong with contributions from each of their players. Virat Kohli kicked off the season smashing a century against Pakistan. Shikhar Dhawan pulled off two centuries with Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma also jumping in on the century bandwagon. Batting was never the big question for India, it’s their bowling that has let them down in the past. However with a fit Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami they have pulled out 70 wickets from seven games. The spinners have also contributed massively towards India’s success with Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja also taking wickets.

Australia have had a more interesting run up to the semi-final. They had lost their game against New Zealand as their batting line-up crumbled. It was only an incredible bowling performance from Mitchell Starc that helped them save face. The quarter-final against Pakistan also highlighted the chinks in Australia’s armour. Wahab Riaz bowled as if he was reading from a manual of how to pick off the Australian batsmen. He should have had four wickets had Pakistan taken their catches.

The fact that the game is being played at the SCG is a huge factor. It is almost a dream pitch for India, as good a pitch as they could ask for in Australia. Ravi Ashwin will be key in India’s bowling attack. Imran Tahir bowled phenomenally against Sri Lanka at the quarter final and backed up by JP Duminy they picked seven out of the ten wickets. A number that may unnerve the hosts. They have so far only used a specialist spinner once in Xavier Doherty and if they choose to change their team dynamic again to suit the pitch it may work against them. India have used the same 11 throughout the tournament, with Shami resting for one game only. They have settled as a unit and they compliment each other well.

Australia are likely to continue with their brand of aggressive cricket in an attempt to wind up the Indians, in particular Virat Kohli. They will look to throw him off his game from the start. However as with Riaz, Kohli can change the game in an instant. If he gets fired up and gets into the game, India will be flying back to the MCG for the finals against New Zealand.

143 run win gives New Zealand a spot in the Semi-finals

24 Tuesday Mar 2015

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The spectators at the Wellington Regional were given the show of a lifetime. It was the fourth quarter-final, New Zealand vs. West Indies. It was never going to be a dull match, not with the likes of Chris Gayle and Bredon McCullum playing.

It was however Martin Guptill who made the day so memorable. It was Martin Guptil who smashed the highest individual World Cup score to score an unbelievable 237 runs from 163 balls. He led New Zealand to a record breaking knock-out game score of 393-6 and got them a place in the semi-finals against South Africa. Guptill’s innings began steadily with some beautiful strokes, he was playing the perfect anchoring innings. That however changed once Guptil reached his 100 from 111 balls. He used 23 balls to reach his 150 and only 18 to reach his 200. He then smashed his final 37 from 11 balls. It was an unbelievable innings of incredible power. 24 fours and 11 sixes came from the man who was making the Wellington ground look smaller than a tennis court. It didn’t matter what the other batsmen were doing all eyes were on Guptill even when he was at the non-strikers end.

The West Indies came out to bat and to their credit they gave it everything. They came out all guns blazing and made New Zealand sweat. As always the West Indies team dealt in boundaries. Chris Gayle who had injured his back could barely run looked his normal self as he slammed eight sixes and two fours to score 61. Marlon Samuels, Jonathan Carter and all of the lower order joined in on the boundary action to keep the West Indies going at a run rate of 8.19 an over. The West Indies captain Jason Holder smashed 42 off 26 balls and it was 31 overs of pure entertainment for the Wellington crowd.

West Indies fell 143 runs short of their imposing target but they could hold their heads up they had given it a real shot. They had a lot to take away from the 2015 World Cup tournament, including the possibility of a new rule to not play against South Africa so long as AB de Villiers remains in the team.

Wahab Riaz vs. Australia

24 Tuesday Mar 2015

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Pakistan had made it into the quarter finals after more than just a rough start. They had been crushed by their arch rivals India and then fell to an embarassing 1-4 facing the West Indies before collapsing for 160. It was not unexpected that Pakistan would suffer with three of their front-line bowlers being injured or barred from the competition but their performance had been well below par. However they came back to beat South Africa who had just posted back-to-back 400+ totals. It was a low scoring game where Pakistan defended 222. They bowled South Africa out for 202 and the game brought back painful memories of the 2011 quarter final between New Zealand and South Africa. In doing so, Pakistan scraped into the quarter finals and pushed Ireland out.

Even though Pakistan were missing some key players, they still had a decent bowling attack. It was their batting had let them down on more than one occassion and this day was no different. Had they been able to reach 250-260+ they would have been in with a real chance.

Both openers were removed cheaply once again. Haris Sohail and Pakistan’s saviour Misbah Ul Haq came together at the crease and put on a decent partnership. The pair batted well and built up the innings again. However on 97 Misbah was caught in the deep. From then on, the innings began to collapse. The Pakistani batsmen got out to rash shots and bad placement of the ball. Umar Akmal smashed the ball straight down Finch’s throat. A few metres either side and it would have been a boundary. Four of the Pakistani batsmen were caught out in the field. They used the batting powerplay poorly and even though a small cameo from Shahid Afridi kept the spirit of the fans up it was not enough to push the team up to a defendable total.

The Australians lived up to their name as the aggressors. They taunted the tail-enders, in particular Wahab Riaz. Mitchell Starc and Shane Watson mockingly explained what a cricket ball was and that he should try and hit it. They fired up Riaz, a decision Watson would later come to regret. Had someone put a thermometer anywhere near Riaz it would have burst. The hosts finally plowed through the tail end and Pakistan finished on 213 runs.

The fact that Australia won by six wickets does not do the match justice. Pakistan bowled masterfully. The opening bowlers pulled off great lines and lengths and Sohail Khan had Finch lbw early on. However that wasn’t going to be enough. Pakistan needed a big breakthrough. They needed a gamechanger, and that’s just what they got. At the first bowling change, Wahab Riaz was brought in. Still fired up from his encounter with Starc and Watson he was ready to take on the entire Australian team single handedly. Riaz bowled with the aggression of Dale Steyn and Mitchell Johnson togehter in every single delivery. He took down David Warner with his 3rd delivery and bounced out Michael Clarke with his 10th. Australia were 59-3 and Riaz was not finished. He peppered Watson with the short ball and Watson could not get away. The tension between the two was explosive. Steve Smith was playing well at the other end but nothing else was relevant when Riaz came steaming in to bowl at Watson. He finally cracked under the pressure playing a release shot straight to Rahat Ali. Australia were about to be 83-4. Then Rahat Ali dropped the catch. There are no second chances when you’re defending 213, each chance and half chance needs to be taken. Even at 83-4 it would have been difficult to win but it was a knock-out game and Watson’s return to the dressing room could have thoroughly rattled the hosts.

With the dropped catch it was as though the fight had been drained from the team. Riaz bowled one too many overs in the hope to recreate Watson’s mistake but he began to tire and Watson finally got away. Along with Smith they breezed through to 148 before Smith was caught out lbw by Ehsan Adil. As the partnership broke Riaz was brought back for one final fight. Another catch off his bowling went down, luckily for Glenn Maxwell, which could have left Australia 154-5. It was not meant to be. It appeared only Riaz was in the fight against Australia. Watson and Maxwell finished off the innings and with it pushed Australia into the semi-finals.

No matter the result, the game will be rememebered for Wahab Riaz’s unyielding spell. A spell that would go down in history as one of the greatest.

India continue unbeaten run.

23 Monday Mar 2015

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Seven matches and 70 wickets later, India are still in the running to for title. Many fans had booked their holidays around the group stage matches with no expectations for the team to make it any further. They had not accounted for Shikhar Dhawan’s return to form, or for Mohammed Shami to be sitting third on the wicket takers list.

The 19th of March marked the day MS Dhoni took his team to an unbeaten streak of 10 spectacular wins. India were playing Bangladesh in the quarterfinals of the 2015 World Cup. Bangladesh had a great run in the lead up to the game, they had beaten England and given New Zealand a real run for their money in the group stages. However they were playing in the big leagues now. A format they were not used to, a format where one misfield could knock them out of the running. They were also playing at the intimidating ground of the MCG. On the same ground that they had played poorly against Sri Lanka in the group stages. They were also playing the current champions who were more fired up than ever.

It was expected that India would win and go on to play the semi-final in Sydney but this was a day of belief for the Bangladesh team and their fans. They had beaten England and made it into the knock-outs. Could they go all the way?

The might of the MCG and the pressure of the game appeared to be too much for Bangladesh. They started the day off bowling great lines and lengths and constantly questioning the Indian batsmen. They were able to remove Shikhar Dhawan who was closely followed by Virat Kohli and then Ajinkya Rahane. At 115-3 from 28 overs, it was looking like they could limit India to under 270 runs. However Suresh Raina was next in and along with Rohit Sharma who was still at the crease, they accelerated. It was the partnership that broke Bangladesh. Raina had been such a key player in so many of the World Cup matches and once again he performed beautifully. A lot of powerful hitting, some misfields and some unfortunate decisions allowed India to push past 300 runs. Sharma ended on a match winning 137 which was well backed up by Raina’s 65.

Bangladesh had almost given up hope, they looked unfocused. There was no diving for the ball to stop the boundaries, there was no support for the bowlers and there was no team spirit left on the field by the end of the innings. They had been defeated.

Bangladesh went on to lose the match by 109 runs. India were in control of the game from the start and constantly picked off wickets as partnerships began to build up. Bangladesh’s key performer in the previous two matches, Mohammad Mahmadullah, was removed for 21 and Nasir Hossain top scored with 35.

It was as though the team had given up on themselves before their fans. They had done well to get where they had and they will have a lot to take home and build on in preparation for the 2019 World Cup.

Clinical South Africa end World Cup curse

22 Sunday Mar 2015

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The knockout stages of the quarter finals kicked off on the 18th of March between two of the most exciting teams. Sri Lanka were playing South Africa at the SCG. A battle between two titans. Neither team had been having a perfect run through the the group stages. South Africa lost to both India and Pakistan but beat both Ireland and the West Indies by 200+ runs. Sri Lanka had been beaten by Australia and New Zealand but beat both England and Bangladesh by nine wickets. However both teams were coming into the game with players in the form of their life. Kumar Sangakkara was coming off a world record of four consecutive centuries and AB de Villiers had been consistently performing with an unbelievable 162 not-out from 66 balls.

South Africa however were not only facing Sri Lanka, they were facing themselves. A side with some of the most destructive batsmen in the world and possibly the singular most hostile bowler in the world. A side that has never won a world cup knock-out game since 1992. They had been labelled World Cup chokers. AB de Villiers had been part of the side that was knocked out on the previous two occasions and this time was leading the pack.

It wasn’t the best start for South Africa as Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat. South Africa’s two losses of the tournament had come from chasing totals. Their loss against New Zealand in the 2011 World Cup had also come from a collapse whilst chasing.

It was however the only thing that went wrong for South Africa for the rest of the game. Dale Steyn and Kyle Abbott bowled with pure unadulterated aggression. They troubled the Sri Lankan openers who could not get away. Kusal Perera swung blindly at everything the South African bowlers threw at them and Tillakaratne Dilshan never looked ready. Both openers were caught out edging the ball and from then on, the Sri Lankans could not pull together a partnership. Kumar Sangakkara looked as though he was in it for the long haul as he played himself in. However he was never given the chance to get going, it was a catch-22 situation. Sangakkara had to steady the innings but he had to make runs as wickets continued to fall at the other end. Imran Tahir and JP Duminy bowled extremely well to contain the Sri Lankans and constantly pick off wickets. Not one of the Sri Lankan batsmen had a strike rate of 90+ with only Lahiru Thirimanne striking at 60+. Once Angelo Mathews was removed at 114, the innings collapsed. The next three batsmen fell for two runs and Sri Lanka were all out for 133.

Had Sri Lanka made 220+, South Africa might have felt uneasy with their chasing history but it was a walk in the park. Quinton de Kock found some form scoring 78 not out and South Africa chased down the total in 18 overs with nine wickets in hand. It was a disappointing end for Sri Lanka. This was Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena’s last ODI game but it was almost as though the team had not even turned up to the SCG.

South Africa had finally broken their jinx, they looked like a fantastic unit and they could go into the semi-finals with a clean slate.

The biggest cricketing upset of the tournament.

15 Sunday Mar 2015

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With Pakistan and West Indies missing key players and with Ireland becoming a stronger team, group B was always going to be an interesting one. The final four that would qualify was always in question. Group A however seemed pretty set. Australia and New Zealand had been on top form in the lead up to the tournament and any team involving the pure class of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena was sure to qualify. England had done well in the tri-series, they had beaten India and looked well set to qualify. Once again there looked like there was no room for Bangladesh. They were still the team that reached the finish line just too late.

However this year was different. As a side, they had improved vastly over the past few years and were ready to challenge the world order. They finally had some fierce bowlers and skilled batsmen who could win them matches.

Their campaign began with a game against Afghanistan in which Bangladesh’s super stars Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim built up a solid platform for Bangladesh. They put on 267 runs and went on to smash through Afghanistan’s batting order, winning by a margin of 105 runs. Bangladesh had just told the other full member nations that they were ready to challenge them for a spot in the knockouts. It was a gret start for them. Had their first game been against Australia and they were crushed, it could have been very demoralising for them.

It was as though there was a higher power that wanted Bangladesh to qualify too. Cyclone Marcia did not allow a ball to be bowled in Bangladesh’s second game against Australia. Had they played (considering Australia’s track record in recent times and in World Cups), Bangladesh could well have been looking at their first loss of the tournament. Instead the points were split and Bangladesh were sitting high up in the tables early on.

Bangladesh went on to lose their next game against Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka put on a target of 333 for Bangladesh with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara building a partnership of 210. The fielding performance of Bangladesh resembled that of the old team. They dropped catches and missed run out chances and did not look like a team ready for qualify. Their batting performance was also poor, only Soumya Sarkar looked like he was up for the chase. Most of the top order collapsed and they left too much work for their dynamic duo. Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim tried to close the gap and with the help of Sabbir Rahman they reached 240. 92 runs short of their target.

The next two games were extremely important for Bangladesh. With the extra point from the washed out game against Australia, they had a chance to push past England in the tables and qualify. Mashrafe Mortaza’s men chased down Scotland’s 318 with two overs to spare. The fact that they Scotland were firstly able to score over 300 was not a great start for Bangladesh but it gave their batsmen time at the crease which is exactly what they needed. It was particularly useful for Bangladesh’s top order who had not performed well so far.

Match 33. The 9th of March was possibly the most important day of any Bangladeshi cricket fan’s life. It was the day Bangladesh were playing England. It was the day Bangladesh could prove themselves to the world and repay every Bangladeshi supporter that had stuck by them through the years. England had already faced three crushing losses and were looking ragged going into the game. Bangladesh were coming off a high and were hungry for the challenge. Batting first they got off to a poor start with two wickets falling for eight runs. Soumya Sarkar who had played very positively throughout the tournament rebuilt the innings with Mohammad Mahmudullah. Once again though in the 90s, two wickets fell in quick succession. However Mahmudullah was unfazed, he went on to score a century and along with Rahim they put on a partnership of 141 runs. Bangladesh ended on a very respectable total of 275 runs.

It was an unfocused and half-hearted performance from England. Almost each batting pair made a start and each time they looked settled, the partnership was broken. Five of the English batsmen got out knicking the ball behind with four of them scoring a minimum of 27. England looked unsure of themselves. From 121-3, they moved to 132-5. Jos Buttler looked like the man to finish the job for England. He played some wonderful strokes and with a helping hand from Joe Root and Chris Woakes he got England so close to the finish line. Once again though, the partnership was broken and Buttler was removed. Woakes however still looked motivated and a dropped catch in the deep made it look as though England might squeeze through to the quarter finals. However it was Rubel Hossain who had the last say, he bowled magnificently and knocked over the final two wickets to win the game.

Bangladesh had made it through to the quarter finals for the first time ever. Their efforts had paid off and they truly deserved a spot in the final eight. They had one final game left to play against New Zealand and they gave them a run for their money. It was a new team, a team not to be taken lightly.

West Indies make India sweat.

06 Friday Mar 2015

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India’s World Cup campaign still remains untarnished. Having beaten Pakistan, South Africa and the UAE with a certain ease, India were looking unstoppable. They hadn’t had a real challenge and they were heading down the mountain at full speed straight off a cliff. Confidence is one thing but without a challenge in the group stages, India would have been very unprepared to face a side like New Zealand when crunch time came, particularly the batsmen. During India’s fourth game though, the West Indies provided the team with possibly enough traction for them to find a safer route down the mountain.

On Friday the 6th of March, India were playing the West Indies in Perth. It was their second game at the WACA and they would have been feeling fairly comfortable with the ground. The West Indies had been having an rough World Cup from even before the tournament started. With two of their key one day players being stopped from playing by the WI Board and Sunil Narine being stopped by the ICC, they were already at a disadvantage. The team also had to face the challenge of being under new captaincy with a very young Jason Holder being given the reins only a series before the World Cup began.

West Indies had also been having a very patchy run through the tournament in the lead-up to the India game. Their 304 had been chased down by Ireland, then they went on to beat Pakistan and Zimbabwe by fairly large margins before losing by a massive 257 runs to South Africa. Their sketchy form meant that there could be no expectations for the game.

Holder won the toss and elected to bat first. This was their final chance to keep themselves in the running to qualify for the quarter finals without banking on net run rate. From the start, the West Indies looked uneasy. It took both openers a while to get moving. Chris Gayle did not score in the first five overs of the game and they had to sweat for every run. Dwayne Smith was removed early by Mohammed Shami and was followed very closely by Marlon Samuels who was run out when Gayle refused what looked like an easy single. West Indies were struggling to score as the Indian seamers bowled great lines and lengths. Though Gayle was dropped three times, the bowlers really exploited the bounce and pace of the WACA ground and finally removed him and Denesh Ramdin in the next ball. The West Indies stuttered to 38-4 from 10 overs and the game was looking as easy for India as the UAE game. Jonathan Carter stuck around and looked like he was playing himself in. Once again though, India struck at the right moment. With Darren Sammy the old captain and Jason Holder the new captain at the crease, there was still a chance for West Indies to pull it out of the bag. However Sammy played a very un-captain like innings. He tried too hard to score and swung at one too many balls before he was removed by Shami. At 124-8, the Indian fans were cheering every time Holder hit a boundary. The fans that had followed India around had not seen a really competitive match and this was looking as unchallenging as the rest. The captain was once again was the man to save the day for for West Indies. He gave the West Indies bowlers a chance as he top scored with 57 runs hitting four fours and three sixes.

Chasing 183 seemed like an easy enough total for India to reach but the West Indies played extremely well and put some real pressure on Dhoni’s men. None of the Indian batsmen looked in a rush to chase down the total but the West Indies bowlers appeared to be getting a lot out of the ground as both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were removed edging the ball. Virat Kohli looked like he was in for the long haul as he hit some beautiful shots and settled in. However in the 15th over, Kohli skied one straight into the hands of Samuels. Just as India had done, the West Indies continued to pick off wickets with Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina also edging the ball back to Ramdin. At 107-5 it was still India’s game to lose. Their middle order had not faced a challenge in the tournament so far so this was the perfect time for them to settle in without the weight of a required rate on their shoulders. West Indies however had not given up yet, they removed Ravindra Jadeja who looked as though he was itching to finish the game. This brought Ravi Ashwin to the crease. One more wicket and the West Indies would have been into the tail end of India. A tail end that could not bat like Australia’s. However MS Dhoni played a wonderfully calm innings and, with the assistance of a cool headed Ashwin they pulled India over the line.

The West Indies bowlers bowled very well, they were aggressive and looked to take wickets. Having just faced a pummelling from AB de Villiers, it was great to see them bounce back the way they did and really challenge the Indian team.

The best and the worst game of the season.

04 Wednesday Mar 2015

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On Saturday the 28th of February, India were playing the UAE. No one expected the UAE to beat India but they hadn’t gone down without a fight thus far and were still supposed to give India a proper game. 80% of the crowd appeared to be India fans as they had all arrived early in anticipation of the India vs West Indies game on Friday the 6th. The UAE had posted 285 and 278 against Zimbabwe and Ireland respectively in their first two games. That may not sound impressive considering their oppositions but Zimbabwe had taken South Africa’s top four batsmen out for only 83 runs in their last game.

However it all unravelled for the UAE as their batsmen dropped like flies. They were only just able to muster 102 in 32 overs with the help of Shaiman Anwar who top scored with 35. Even the Indian fans were cheering when Anwar smashed a few boundaries. It looked all too easy for India as they picked off the UAE and then went on chase the total in 19 overs only losing one wicket. Tea was taken with 15 runs to go to try and extend the game for the fans but the stadium slowly emptied in the half hour as the result was inevitable.

The whole game lasted 50.2 overs. It was over before it had even started.

The day however had a stark opposite match going elsewhere. Australia were playing New Zealand. The two big dogs of the tournament. It was an epic low-scoring game of top class bowling. It may have been one of the shortest games of the tournament but it was the most thrilling.

The kiwis had been having an incredible run so far, their bowling attack had ripped though Scotland and England and they were hungry for more. Australia had only played one game in the tournament so far but had shown their worth in the Carlton Tri-series against India and England.

Australia were batting first and they got off to a blinder. Aaron Finch and David Warner smashed 30 off the first two overs. The start however, was unsustainable and Finch was bowled. Australia did not lose all their momentum though, Warner and Shane Watson continued and reached 80 runs before Watson was removed. Even at 80-2 from 13 overs it looked good for Australia, it looked like they were headed for a big score and that it would be an incredible chase from New Zealand. That was not the case. Daniel Vettori’s removal of Watson sparked something in the New Zealand bowlers and kicked off a chain reaction. Within nine overs, Australia had gone from 80-2 (a respectable start) to 106-9. It was an incredible collapse spearheaded by Trent Boult who picked off five wickets and only gave away 27 runs. Brad Haddin and Pat Cummins played through another 10 overs to bring Australia up to 151 before Haddin mishit one straight into the hands of the sub fielder. It was almost unbelievable to watch Australia’s power hitters crumble to good old fashioned swing bowling. It showed just how ready New Zealand were to claim the title of World Cup champions.

The game wasn’t over though and chasing 150 can almost be as tough as chasing 350. New Zealand had already had a little trouble chasing down a small total against Scotland. New Zealand’s innings began in a remarkably similar way to Australia’s. Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum looked like they were out to prove something as they smashed fours and sixes all over the place. McCullum caused some panic as he took a ball from Mitchell Johnson to the arm, just to add to the drama of the day. The pair were going at 10 an over until Guptill was removed in the fourth over. McCullum and Kane Williamson continued just as Warner and Watson had until McCullum was removed after making his 50. At 78-2, New Zealand would have still been happy. However, another collapse was written into the story as Ross Taylor and Grant Elliot followed McCullum in the next over. New Zealand were now at 79-4. Still they had nothing to fear with Kane Williamson at the crease and a target of only 152. Williamson and Corey Anderson came together to bring New Zealand right to the brink of victory. They built up again and at 131 it all looked all too easy, but the story wasn’t over. There was one final twist as Corey Anderson was removed. New Zealand somehow ended up going from 131-4 to 146-9 with eight runs needed and one wicket in hand. Boult the hero from the firt innings was the last man in to join Williamson who was there throughout to watch the whole Kiwi innings unravel. Boult came out to face a pumped up Mitchell Starc who had picked off six of the wickets with some phenomenal bowling. Bowler against bowler, Boult faced two balls from Starc and survived. He gave Williamson the opportunity to finish the game off and Williamson finished it in style. The winning runs came from a six off Pat Cummins. The Kiwi’s had won by one wicket.

It was an extraordinary performace and one that both teams will learn from. If the World Cup final is as competitive as this game was, it will be incredible.

It wasn’t ‘pink day’ magic. It’s just AB.

01 Sunday Mar 2015

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The fastest ODI 50, the fastest 100 and NOW the fastest 150. There is no stopping AB de Villiers. The fast 200 will be en route soon. Keep your eyes peeled, there may be a cricket ball flying through your window any minute now.

On the 18th of January, AB de Villiers (in his pink uniform) pulled one of the most phenomenal batting performances against the West Indies. AB smashed the fastest ODI 50 and then fastest ODI century and went on to score an incredible 149 from only 44 balls at a strike rate of almost 340.

Once again against the same opponents, AB de Villiers put on another show for the world.

The fastest ODI 150. Facing only 66 balls he plundered 162* off 66 balls. AB belted 17 fours and eight sixes in his innings and pulled South Africa up to an unbelievable 408. It wasn’t as though South Africa were struggling, they had made a strong base with Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis both hitting 60s. Rilee Rossouw played a firey innings and took the pressure off AB, he gave the captain a chance to play freely.

It started slowly for AB (19 runs off 18 balls counts as slow when in comes to this man), he gave himself a chance to get in. Between the 30th and 40th over Rossouw and AB played it safe. There were a few boundaries here and there, mostly coming from Rossouw, but they kept moving. As soon as the 40th over came, AB decided that the SCG crowd could use some fielding practice. The gears changed and from then on it was the de Villiers show. Both Rossouw and Miller got out but that didn’t stop him. He was an avalanche and one that was picking up speed at an alarming rate. All the West Indies team could do was get out of the way.

At the 47th over, South Africa were on 330-3, an already incredibly strong total. Even if AB got out then it would have been a tough chase, but he continued.  He hit six boundaries off Holder’s eight ball over. 34 runs came off the over and South Africa were at their highest World cup total. The 49th over went for only 14 runs as Farhaan Berhardien starved AB of the strike (luckily for Andre Russell). Then it was back to AB for the final over and Holder had no answers for him. Four sixes and a four came from the last over as AB smashed boundaries over sqare leg, deep midwicket and long on. Holder who had initially only given away nine runs off five overs, ended with figures of 104 off 10 overs. It was a massacre.

South Africa have finally made their mark on the World Cup. Not a small one, they took a fat black sharpie pen and wrote ‘AB DE VILLIERS’ all over it.